Laser processing method and semiconductor chip

ABSTRACT

A laser processing method is provided, which, even when a substrate formed with a laminate part including a plurality of functional devices is thick, can cut the substrate and laminate part with a high precision. 
     This laser processing method irradiates a substrate  4  with laser light L while using a rear face  21  as a laser light entrance surface and locating a light-converging point P within the substrate  4 , so as to form modified regions  71, 72, 73  within the substrate  4 . Here, the quality modified region  71  is formed at a position where the distance between the front face  3  of the substrate  4  and the end part of the quality modified region  71  on the front face side is 5 μm to 15 μm. When the quality modified region  71  is formed at such a position, a laminate part  16  (constituted by interlayer insulating films  17   a   , 17   b  here) formed on the front face  3  of the substrate  4  is also cut along a line to cut with a high precision together with the substrate  4.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a laser processing method used forcutting a substrate formed with a laminate part including a plurality offunctional devices, and a semiconductor chip cut by using such a laserprocessing method.

BACKGROUND ART

Known as a conventional technique of this kind is a laser processingmethod in which a wafer-like object to be processed is irradiated withlaser light while locating a light-converging point within the object,so as to form a plurality of rows of modified regions within the objectalong a line to cut, and use the modified regions as start points forcutting (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

-   [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    2002-205180

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

The above-mentioned laser processing method is a technique which becomesparticularly effective when the object to be processed is thick. Inconnection with such a technique, there have been demands for atechnology which uses a substrate formed with a laminate part includinga plurality of functional devices as an object to be processed and cancut the substrate and laminate part with a high precision even when thesubstrate is thick.

In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present inventionto provide a laser processing method which, even when a substrate formedwith a laminate part including a plurality of functional devices isthick, can cut the substrate and laminate part with a high precision;and a semiconductor chip cut by using such a laser processing method.

Means for Solving Problem

For achieving the above-mentioned object, in one aspect, the presentinvention provides a laser processing method of irradiating a substratehaving a front face formed with a laminate part including a plurality offunctional devices with laser light while locating a light-convergingpoint within the substrate so as to form a modified region to become astart point for cutting within the substrate along a line to cut of thesubstrate, the method comprising the steps of forming a first modifiedregion along the line to cut at a position where a distance between thefront face and an end part on the front face side is 5 μm to 15 μm; andforming at least one row of a second modified region along the line tocut at a position between the first modified region and a rear face ofthe substrate.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a laser processingmethod of irradiating a substrate having a front face formed with alaminate part including a plurality of functional devices with laserlight while locating a light-converging point within the substrate so asto form a modified region to become a start point for cutting within thesubstrate along a line to cut of the substrate, the method comprisingthe steps of forming a first modified region along the line to cut at aposition where a distance between the front face and an end part on arear face side is [(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm to [20+(thesubstrate thickness)×0.1] μm; and forming at least one row of a secondmodified region along the line to cut at a position between the firstmodified region and a rear face of the substrate.

When an expandable film such as expandable tape is bonded to the rearface of the substrate and expanded, for example, in these laserprocessing methods, fractures extending along the line to cut occur fromthe first and second modified regions acting as start points, wherebythe substrate can be cut along the line to cut even when the substrateis thick. When the first modified region is formed at a position wherethe distance between the front face of the substrate and the end part ofthe first modified region on the front face side is 5 μm to 15 μm or aposition where the distance between the front face of the substrate andthe end part of the first modified region on the rear face side is [(thesubstrate thickness)×0.1] μm to [20+(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm,the laminate part formed on the front face of the substrate can also becut along the line to cut with a high precision. Therefore, even whenthe substrate formed with the laminate part including a plurality offunctional devices is thick, these laser processing methods can cut thesubstrate and laminate part with a high precision.

Here, the functional devices refer to semiconductor operating layersformed by crystal growth, light-receiving devices such as photodiodes,light-emitting devices such as laser diodes, and circuit devices formedas circuits, for example. The distance refers to a distance along thethickness of the substrate unless otherwise specified (ditto in thefollowing). The first and second modified regions are formed when thesubstrate is irradiated with laser light while locating alight-converging point within the semiconductor substrate so as togenerate multiphoton absorption or optical absorption equivalent theretowithin the substrate.

In the former laser processing method, it will be preferred if the firstmodified region is formed at a position where the distance between thefront face of the substrate and the end part of the first modifiedregion on the front face side is 5 μm to 10 μm. In the latter laserprocessing method, the first modified region is preferably formed at aposition where the distance between the front face of the substrate andthe end part of the first modified region on the rear face side is[5+(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm to [20+(the substratethickness)×0.1] μm, more preferably at a position where the distancebetween the front face of the substrate and the end part of the firstmodified region on the rear face side is [5+(the substratethickness)×0.1] μm to [10+(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm. In thesecases, the end part of the substrate on the front face side and thelaminate part can be cut along the line to cut with a higher precision.

In the above-mentioned laser processing methods, there is a case wherethe substrate is a semiconductor substrate while the first and secondmodified regions include a molten processed region. When the substrateis a semiconductor substrate, there is a case where modified regionsincluding a molten processed region are formed as the first and secondmodified regions.

Preferably, in the above-mentioned laser processing methods, the firstand second modified regions are successively formed one by one from theside farther from the rear face while using the rear face as a laserlight entrance surface. In this case, no modified region exists betweenthe rear face (laser light entrance surface) of the substrate and thelight-converging point of laser light when forming each modified region,so that scattering, absorption, and the like of laser light are notcaused by modified regions which have already been formed. Therefore,each modified region can be formed with a high precision.

Preferably, in the above-mentioned laser processing methods, the laserlight has an energy of 2 μJ to 50 μJ when forming the first modifiedregion. This is because fractures starting from the first modifiedregion tend to reach the laminate part with a high precision along theline to cut at the time of cutting the substrate and laminate part whenthe first modified region is formed under such a condition. When thelaser light energy is less than 2 μJ, fractures starting from the firstmodified region are likely to reach the laminate part while deviatingfrom the line to cut at the time of cutting the substrate and laminatepart. When the laser light energy exceeds 50 μJ, on the other hand,damages such as melting are likely to occur in the laminate part.

Preferably, in the above-mentioned laser processing methods, the laserlight has an energy of 1 μJ to 50 μJ when forming the second modifiedregion. This is because fractures starting from the second modifiedregion tend to reach the laminate part with a high precision along theline to cut at the time of cutting the substrate and laminate part whenthe second modified region is formed under such a condition. When thelaser light energy is less than 1 μJ, fractures starting from the secondmodified region are harder to occur at the time of cutting the substrateand laminate part. When the laser light energy exceeds 50 μJ, on theother hand, fractures starting from the second modified region arelikely to deviate from the line to cut at the time of cutting thesubstrate and laminate part.

Preferably, in the above-mentioned laser processing methods, thelight-converging point of the laser light is located at a positiondistanced by 50 μm to [(the substrate thickness)×0.9] μm from the rearface when forming the second modified region. This is because thesubstrate and laminate part can be cut easily even when the substrate isthick if the second modified region is formed under such a condition.

Preferably, in the above-mentioned laser processing methods, thelight-converging point of the laser light is located at a positiondistanced by 20 μm to 110 μm from the rear face when forming the secondmodified region. This is because fractures starting from the secondmodified region tend to reach the rear face of the substrate reliablywhen the second modified region is formed under such a condition. Whenthe distance from the rear face is less than 20 μm, damages such asmelting are likely to occur in the rear face of the substrate. When thedistance from the rear face exceeds 110 μm, on the other hand, fracturesstarting from the second modified region are harder to reach the rearface of the substrate.

The above-mentioned laser processing methods may further comprise thestep of cutting the substrate and laminate part along the line to cut.Because of the reasons mentioned above, even when the substrate formedwith the laminate part including a plurality of functional devices isthick, the substrate and laminate part can be cut along the line to cutwith a high precision.

In still another aspect, the present invention provides a semiconductorchip comprising a substrate; and a laminate part, disposed on a frontface of the substrate, including a functional device; wherein a firstmodified region extending along a rear face of the substrate is formedat a position where a distance between the front face and an end part onthe front face side is 5 μm to 15 μm in a side face of the substrate;and wherein at least one row of a second modified region extending alongthe rear face is formed at a position between the first modified regionand the rear face in the side face of the substrate.

In still another aspect, the present invention provides a semiconductorchip comprising a substrate; and a laminate part, disposed on a frontface of the substrate, including a functional device; wherein a firstmodified region extending along a rear face of the substrate is formedat a position where a distance between the front face and an end part onthe rear face side is [(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm to [20+(thesubstrate thickness)×0.1] μm in a side face of the substrate; andwherein at least one row of a second modified region extending along therear face is formed at a position between the first modified region andthe rear face in the side face of the substrate.

These semiconductor chips are considered to be those cut by using theabove-mentioned laser processing methods, whereby the side face of thesubstrate formed with the first and second modified regions and the sideface of the laminate part are highly accurate cut sections in whichirregularities are suppressed.

In the above-mentioned semiconductor chips, there is a case where thesubstrate is a semiconductor substrate while the first and secondmodified regions include a molten processed region. When the substrateis a semiconductor substrate, there is a case where modified regionsincluding a molten processed region are formed as the first and secondmodified regions.

In the above-mentioned semiconductor chips, the distance between the endpart of the first modified region on the rear face side and the end partof the second modified region on the front face side opposing each otheris preferably 0 μm to [(the substrate thickness)−(the substratethickness)×0.6] μm. This is because, when the first and second modifiedregions are formed under such a condition, fractures starting from themodified regions tend to occur along the line to cut with a highprecision, whereby the side faces of the substrate and laminate part inthe semiconductor chip become highly accurate cut sections. When thedistance between the end part of the first modified region on the rearface side and the end part of the second modified region on the frontface side opposing each other exceeds [(the substrate thickness)−(thesubstrate thickness)×0.6] μm, side faces of the substrate of thesemiconductor chip are harder to become highly accurate cut sectionsbetween the first and second modified regions at the time of cutting thesubstrate and laminate part.

Effect of the Invention

Even when a substrate formed with a laminate part including a pluralityof functional devices is thick, the present invention can cut thesubstrate and laminate part with a high precision.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an object to be processed during laserprocessing by the laser processing method in accordance with anembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the object taken along the line II-II ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the object after laser processing by the laserprocessing method in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the object taken along the line IV-IV ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the object taken along the line V-V ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the object cut by the laser processing methodin accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a graph showing relationships between the field intensity andcrack spot size in the laser processing method in accordance with theembodiment;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the object in a first step of the laserprocessing method in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the object in a second step of the laserprocessing method in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the object in a third step of the laserprocessing method in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the object in a fourth step of the laserprocessing method in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a view showing a photograph of a cross section in a part of asilicon wafer cut by the laser processing method in accordance with theembodiment;

FIG. 13 is a graph showing relationships between laser light wavelengthand transmittance within a silicon wafer in the laser processing methodin accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the object in the laser processing method inaccordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a partly sectional view of the object taken along the lineXV-XV of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a view for explaining the laser processing method inaccordance with the embodiment, in which (a) shows a state where aprotective tape is bonded to the object, whereas (b) shows a state wherethe object is irradiated with laser light;

FIG. 17 is a view for explaining the laser processing method inaccordance with the embodiment, in which (a) shows a state where anexpandable tape is bonded to the object, whereas (b) shows a state wherethe protective tape is irradiated with UV rays;

FIG. 18 is a view for explaining the laser processing method inaccordance with the embodiment, in which (a) shows a state where theprotective tape is peeled off from the object, whereas (b) shows a statewhere the expandable tape is expanded;

FIG. 19 is a partly sectional view of the object taken along the lineXIX-XIX of FIG. 16( b);

FIG. 20 is a view showing a photograph of a cut section of a substratecut by using the laser processing method in accordance with theembodiment;

FIG. 21 is a view showing a photograph of the rear face of the substratein the case where the light-converging point of laser light is locatedat a position distanced by 40 μm from the rear face while the laserlight energy is 20 μJ when forming an HC modified region;

FIG. 22 is a view showing a photograph of the rear face of the substratein the case where the light-converging point of laser light is locatedat a position distanced by 15 μm from the rear face while the laserlight energy is 10 μJ when forming an HC modified region;

FIG. 23 is a table showing the relationship between quality modifiedregion forming conditions and skirt width;

FIG. 24 is a view showing a photograph of a cut section of the substratein the case where the light-converging point of laser light is locatedat a position distanced by 3 μm from the front face while the laserlight energy is 15 μJ when forming an HC modified region;

FIG. 25 is a view showing a photograph of a cut section of a substratecut by using the laser processing method in accordance with theembodiment;

FIG. 26 is a plan view at the time of cutting the object intosemiconductor chips, in which (a) shows a case where various formingconditions concerning segmented modified regions are not satisfied whenforming the segmented modified regions, whereas (b) shows a case wherevarious forming conditions concerning segmented modified regions aresatisfied when forming the segmented modified regions;

FIG. 27 is a photograph showing a cut section of a substrate where 1 rowof quality modified region, 2 rows of segmented modified regions, and 1row of HC modified region are formed;

FIG. 28 is a photograph showing a cut section of a substrate where 1 rowof quality modified region, 2 rows of segmented modified regions, and 2rows of HC modified regions are formed; and

FIG. 29 is a photograph showing a cut section of a substrate where 1 rowof quality modified region, 19 rows of segmented modified regions, and 2rows of HC modified regions are formed.

EXPLANATIONS OF NUMERALS

1 . . . object to be processed; 3 . . . front face; 4 . . . substrate; 4a. . . cut section (side face); 5 . . . line to cut; 7 . . . modifiedregion; 8 . . . starting point region for cutting; 13 . . . moltenprocessed region; 15 . . . functional device; 16 . . . laminate part; 21. . . rear face; 24 . . . fracture; 25 . . . semiconductor chip; 71 . .. quality modified region (first modified region); 72 . . . segmentedmodified region (second modified region); 73 . . . HC modified region(second modified region); L . . . laser light; P . . . light-convergingpoint.

Best Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

In the following, preferred embodiments of the method of cutting anobject to be processed in accordance with the present invention will beexplained in detail with reference to the drawings. In theseembodiments, a phenomenon known as multiphoton absorption is used forforming a modified region within the object to be processed. Therefore,to begin with, a laser processing method for forming a modified regionby the multiphoton absorption will be explained.

A material becomes transparent when its absorption bandgap E_(G) isgreater than photon energy hν. Hence, a condition under which absorptionoccurs in the material is hν>E_(G). However, even when opticallytransparent, the material generates absorption under a condition ofnhν>E_(G) (where n=2, 3, 4, . . . ) if the intensity of laser lightbecomes very high. This phenomenon is known as multiphoton absorption.In the case of pulsed waves, the intensity of laser light is determinedby the peak power density (W/cm²) of laser light at a light-convergingpoint. The multiphoton absorption occurs under a condition where thepeak power density is 1×10⁸ (W/cm²) or greater, for example. The peakpower density is determined by (energy of laser light at thelight-converging point per pulse)/(beam spot cross-sectional area oflaser light ×pulse width). In the case of continuous waves, theintensity of laser light is determined by the field intensity (W/cm²) oflaser light at the light-converging point.

The principle of the laser processing method in accordance with anembodiment using such multiphoton absorption will be explained withreference to FIGS. 1 to 6. As shown in FIG. 1, on a front face 3 of awafer-like (planar) object to be processed 1, a line to cut 5 forcutting the object 1 exists. The line to cut 5 is a virtual lineextending straight. As shown in FIG. 2, the laser processing method inaccordance with this embodiment irradiates the object 1 with laser lightL while locating a light-converging point P therewithin under acondition generating multiphoton absorption, so as to form a modifiedregion 7. The light-converging point P is a position at which the laserlight L is converged. The line to cut 5 may be curved instead of beingstraight, and may be a line actually drawn on the object 1 without beingrestricted to the virtual line.

Then, the laser light L is relatively moved along the line to cut 5(i.e., in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1), so as to shift thelight-converging point P along the line to cut 5. Consequently, as shownin FIGS. 3 to 5, the modified region 7 is formed along the line to cut 5within the object 1, and becomes a starting point region for cutting 8.The starting point region for cutting 8 refers to a region which becomesa start point for cutting (fracturing) when the object 1 is cut. Thestarting point region for cutting 8 may be made by forming the modifiedregion 7 either continuously or intermittently.

In the laser processing method in accordance with this embodiment, themodified region 7 is not formed by the heat generated from the object 1absorbing the laser light L. The laser light L is transmitted throughthe object 1, so as to generate multiphoton absorption therewithin,thereby forming the modified region 7. Therefore, the front face 3 ofthe object 1 hardly absorbs the laser light L and does not melt.

Forming the starting point region for cutting 8 within the object 1makes it easier to generate fractures from the starting point region forcutting 8 acting as a start point, whereby the object 1 can be cut witha relatively small force as shown in FIG. 6. Therefore, the object 1 canbe cut with a high precision without generating unnecessary fractures onthe front face 3 of the object 1.

There seem to be the following two ways of cutting the object 1 from thestarting point region for cutting 8 acting as a start point. The firstcase is where an artificial force is applied to the object 1 after thestarting point region for cutting 8 is formed, so that the object 1fractures from the starting point region for cutting 8 acting as a startpoint, whereby the object 1 is cut. This is the cutting in the casewhere the object 1 has a large thickness, for example. Applying anartificial force refers to exerting a bending stress or shear stress tothe object 1 along the starting point region for cutting 8, orgenerating a thermal stress by applying a temperature difference to theobject 1, for example. The other case is where the forming of thestarting point region for cutting 8 causes the object 1 to fracturenaturally in its cross-sectional direction (thickness direction) fromthe starting point region for cutting 8 acting as a start point, therebycutting the object 1. This becomes possible if the starting point regionfor cutting 8 is formed by one row of the modified region 7 when theobject 1 has a small thickness, or if the starting point region forcutting 8 is formed by a plurality of rows of the modified region 7 inthe thickness direction when the object 1 has a large thickness. Even inthis naturally fracturing case, fractures do not extend onto the frontface 3 at a portion corresponding to an area not formed with thestarting point region for cutting 8 in the part to cut, so that only theportion corresponding to the area formed with the starting point regionfor cutting 8 can be cleaved, whereby cleavage can be controlled well.Such a cleaving method with a favorable controllability is quiteeffective, since the object 1 to be processed such as silicon wafer hasrecently been apt to decrease its thickness.

The modified region formed by multiphoton absorption in the laserprocessing method in accordance with this embodiment encompasses thefollowing cases (1) to (3):

(1) Case Where the Modified Region is a Crack Region Including One Crackor a Plurality of Cracks

An object to be processed (e.g., glass or a piezoelectric material madeof LiTaO₃) is irradiated with laser light while locating alight-converging point therewithin under a condition with a fieldintensity of at least 1×10⁸ (W/cm²) at the light-converging point and apulse width of 1 μs or less. This magnitude of pulse width is acondition under which a crack region can be formed only within theobject while generating multiphoton absorption without causingunnecessary damages on the front face of the object. This generates aphenomenon of optical damage by multiphoton absorption within theobject. This optical damage induces a thermal distortion within theobject, thereby forming a crack region therewithin. The upper limit offield intensity is 1×10¹² (W/cm²), for example. The pulse width ispreferably 1 ns to 200 ns, for example. The forming of a crack region bymultiphoton absorption is disclosed, for example, in “Internal Markingof Glass Substrate with Solid-state Laser”, Proceedings of the 45thLaser Materials Processing Conference (December, 1998), pp. 23-28.

The inventors determined the relationship between field intensity andcrack size by an experiment. The following are conditions of theexperiment.

(A) Object to be processed: Pyrex (registered trademark) glass (with athickness of 700 μm)

(B) Laser

-   -   light source: semiconductor laser pumping Nd:YAG laser    -   wavelength: 1064 nm    -   laser light spot cross-sectional area: 3.14×10⁻⁸ cm²    -   oscillation mode: Q-switched pulse    -   repetition frequency: 100 kHz    -   pulse width: 30 ns    -   output: output<1 mJ/pulse    -   laser light quality: TEM₀₀    -   polarizing property: linear polarization

(C) Condenser lens

-   -   transmittance at a laser light wavelength: 60%

(D) Moving rate of the mount table mounting the object: 100 mm/sec

The laser light quality of TEM₀₀ means that the light-convergingcharacteristic is so high that convergence to about the wavelength oflaser light is possible.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the results of the above-mentioned experiment.The abscissa indicates the peak power density. Since the laser light ispulsed laser light, the field intensity is represented by the peak powerdensity. The ordinate indicates the size of a crack part (crack spot)formed within the object by one pulse of laser light. Crack spots gatherto yield a crack region. The crack spot size is the size of a partyielding the maximum length among forms of crack spots. Data representedby black circles in the graph refer to a case where the condenser lens(C) has a magnification of ×100 and a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.80.On the other hand, data represented by whitened circles in the graphrefer to a case where the condenser lens (C) has a magnification of ×50and a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.55. Crack spots are seen to occurwithin the object from when the peak power density is about 10¹¹ (W/cm²)and become greater as the peak power density increases.

A mechanism by which the object to be processed is cut by forming acrack region will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. Asshown in FIG. 8, the object 1 is irradiated with laser light L while thelight-converging point P is located within the object 1 under acondition where multiphoton absorption occurs, so as to form a crackregion 9 therewithin along a line to cut. The crack region 9 is a regioncontaining one crack or a plurality of cracks. Thus formed crack region9 becomes a starting point region for cutting. As shown in FIG. 9, acrack further grows from the crack region 9 acting as a start point(i.e., from the starting point region for cutting acting as a startpoint), and reaches the front face 3 and rear face 21 of the object 1 asshown in FIG. 10, whereby the object 1 fractures and is consequently cutas shown in FIG. 11. The crack reaching the front face 3 and rear face21 of the object 1 may grow naturally or as a force is applied to theobject 1.

(2) Case Where the Modified Region is a Molten Processed Region

An object to be processed (e.g., semiconductor material such as silicon)is irradiated with laser light while locating a light-converging pointwithin the object under a condition with a field intensity of at least1×10⁸ (W/cm²) at the light-converging point and a pulse width of 1 μs orless. As a consequence, the inside of the object is locally heated bymultiphoton absorption. This heating forms a molten processed regionwithin the object. The molten processed region encompasses regions oncemolten and then re-solidified, regions just in a molten state, andregions in the process of being re-solidified from the molten state, andcan also be referred to as a region whose phase has changed or a regionwhose crystal structure has changed. The molten processed region mayalso be referred to as a region in which a certain structure changes toanother structure among monocrystal, amorphous, and polycrystalstructures. For example, it means a region having changed from themonocrystal structure to the amorphous structure, a region havingchanged from the monocrystal structure to the polycrystal structure, ora region having changed from the monocrystal structure to a structurecontaining amorphous and polycrystal structures. When the object to beprocessed is of a silicon monocrystal structure, the molten processedregion is an amorphous silicon structure, for example. The upper limitof field intensity is 1×10¹² (W/cm²), for example. The pulse width ispreferably 1 ns to 200 ns, for example.

By an experiment, the inventors verified that a molten processed regionwas formed within a silicon wafer. The following are conditions of theexperiment.

(A) Object to be processed: silicon wafer (with a thickness of 350 μmand an outer diameter of 4 inches)

(B) Laser

-   -   light source: semiconductor laser pumping Nd:YAG laser    -   wavelength: 1064 nm    -   laser light spot cross-sectional area: 3.14×10⁻⁸ cm²    -   oscillation mode: Q-switched pulse    -   repetition frequency: 100 kHz    -   pulse width: 30 ns    -   output: 20 μJ/pulse    -   laser light quality: TEM₀₀    -   polarizing property: linear polarization

(C) Condenser lens

-   -   magnification: ×50    -   N.A.: 0.55    -   transmittance at a laser light wavelength: 60%

(D) Moving rate of the mounting table mounting the object: 100 mm/sec

FIG. 12 is a view showing a photograph of a cross section of a part of asilicon wafer cut by laser processing under the conditions mentionedabove. A molten processed region 13 is formed within the silicon wafer11. The molten processed region 13 formed under the above-mentionedconditions has a size of about 100 μm in the thickness direction.

The fact that the molten processed region 13 is formed by multiphotonabsorption will now be explained. FIG. 13 is a graph showingrelationships between the laser light wavelength and the transmittancewithin the silicon substrate. Here, the respective reflected componentson the front and rear sides of the silicon substrate are eliminated, soas to show the internal transmittance alone. The respectiverelationships are shown in the cases where the thickness t of thesilicon substrate is 50 μm, 100 μm, 200 μm, 500 μm, and 1000 μm.

For example, at the Nd:YAG laser wavelength of 1064 nm, the laser lightappears to be transmitted through the silicon substrate by at least 80%when the silicon substrate has a thickness of 500 μm or less. Since thesilicon wafer 11 shown in FIG. 12 has a thickness of 350 μm, the moltenprocessed region 13 caused by multiphoton absorption is formed near thecenter of the silicon wafer 11, i.e., at a part distanced from the frontface by 175 μm. The transmittance in this case is 90% or more withreference to a silicon wafer having a thickness of 200 μm, whereby thelaser light is absorbed only slightly within the silicon wafer 11 but issubstantially transmitted therethrough. This means that the moltenprocessed region 13 is formed within the silicon wafer 11 not by laserlight absorption within the silicon wafer 11 (i.e., not by usual heatingwith the laser light) but by multiphoton absorption. The forming of amolten processed region by multiphoton absorption is disclosed, forexample, in “Silicon Processing Characteristic Evaluation by PicosecondPulse Laser”, Preprints of the National Meetings of Japan WeldingSociety, Vol. 66 (April, 2000), pp. 72-73.

A fracture is generated in a silicon wafer from a starting point regionfor cutting formed by a molten processed region, acting as a startpoint, toward a cross section, and reaches the front and rear faces ofthe silicon wafer, whereby the silicon wafer is cut. The fracturereaching the front and rear faces of the silicon wafer may grownaturally or as a force is applied to the silicon wafer. The fracturenaturally growing from the starting point region for cutting to thefront and rear faces of the silicon wafer encompasses a case where thefracture grows from a state where the molten processed region formingthe starting point region for cutting is molten and a case where thefracture grows when the molten processed region forming the startingpoint region for cutting is re-solidified from the molten state. Ineither case, the molten processed region is formed only within thesilicon wafer, and thus is present only within the cut section aftercutting as shown in FIG. 12. When a starting point region for cutting isformed within the object by a molten processed region as such,unnecessary fractures deviating from a starting point region for cuttingline are harder to occur at the time of cleaving, whereby cleavagecontrol becomes easier.

(3) Case Where the Modified Region is a Refractive Index Changed Region

An object to be processed (e.g., glass) is irradiated with laser lightwhile locating a light-converging point within the object under acondition with a field intensity of at least 1×10⁸ (W/cm²) at thelight-converging point and a pulse width of 1 ns or less. Whenmultiphoton absorption is generated within the object with a very shortpulse width, the energy caused by multiphoton absorption is notconverted into thermal energy, whereby an eternal structure change suchas ion valence change, crystallization, or orientation polarization isinduced within the object, thus forming a refractive index changeregion. The upper limit of field intensity is 1×10¹² (W/cm²), forexample. The pulse width is preferably 1 ns or less, for example, morepreferably 1 ps or less. The forming of a refractive index change regionby multiphoton absorption is disclosed, for example, in “Forming ofPhotoinduced Structure within Glass by Femtosecond Laser Irradiation”,Proceedings of the 42nd Laser Materials Processing Conference (November,1997), pp. 105-111.

While the cases (1) to (3) are explained in the foregoing as a modifiedregion formed by multiphoton absorption, a starting point region forcutting may be formed as follows while taking account of the crystalstructure of a wafer-like object to be processed and its cleavagecharacteristic, whereby the object can be cut with a high precision by asmaller force from the starting point region for cutting acting as astart point.

Namely, in the case of a substrate made of a monocrystal semiconductorhaving a diamond structure such as silicon, it will be preferred if astarting point region for cutting is formed in a direction extendingalong a (111) plane (first cleavage plane) or a (110) plane (secondcleavage plane. In the case of a substrate made of a III-V familycompound semiconductor of sphalerite structure such as GaAs, it will bepreferred if a starting point region for cutting is formed in adirection extending along a (110) plane. In the case of a substratehaving a crystal structure of hexagonal system such as sapphire (Al₂O₃),it will be preferred if a starting point region for cutting is formed ina direction extending along a (1120) plane (A plane) or a (1100) plane(M plane) while using a (0001) plane (C plane) as a principal plane.

When the substrate is formed with an orientation flat in a direction tobe formed with the above-mentioned starting point region for cutting(e.g., a direction extending along a (111) plane in a monocrystalsilicon substrate) or a direction orthogonal to the direction to beformed therewith, the starting point region for cutting extending in thedirection to be formed with the starting point region for cutting can beformed easily and accurately with reference to the orientation flat.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be explained.FIG. 14 is a plan view of the object to be processed in the laserprocessing method in accordance with this embodiment, whereas FIG. 15 isa partly sectional view of the object taken along the line XV-XV of FIG.14.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, an object to be processed 1 comprises asubstrate 4 made of silicon having a thickness of 290 μm; and a laminatepart 16, formed on the front face 3 of the substrate 4, including aplurality of functional devices 15. Each functional device 15 comprisesan interlayer insulating film 17 a laminated on the front face 3 of thesubstrate 4, a wiring layer 19 a disposed on the interlayer insulatingfilm 17 a, an interlayer insulating film 17 b laminated on theinterlayer insulating film 17 a so as to cover the wiring layer 19 a,and a wiring layer 19 b disposed on the interlayer insulating film 17 b.The wiring layer 19 a and the substrate 4 are electrically connected toeach other by a conductive plug 20 a penetrating through the interlayerinsulating film 17 a, whereas the wiring layers 19 a and 19 b areelectrically connected to each other by a conductive plug 20 bpenetrating through the interlayer insulating film 17 b.

A number of functional devices 15 are formed like a matrix in directionsparallel and perpendicular to an orientation flat 6 of the substrate 4,whereas the interlayer insulating films 17 a, 17 b are formed betweenneighboring functional devices 15, 15 so as to cover the front face 3 ofthe substrate 4 as a whole.

Thus configured object 1 is cut into the functional devices 15 asfollows. First, as shown in FIG. 16( a), a protective tape 22 is bondedto the object 1 so as to cover the laminate part 16. Subsequently, asshown in FIG. 16( b), the object 1 is fixed onto a mount table (notdepicted) of a laser processing apparatus such that the rear face 21 ofthe substrate 4 faces up. Here, the protective tape 22 prevents thelaminate part 16 from coming into direct contact with the mount table,whereby each functional device 15 can be protected.

Then, lines to cut 5 are set like grids (see broken lines in FIG. 14) soas to pass between neighboring functional devices 15, 15, and thesubstrate 4 is irradiated with laser light L under a conditiongenerating multiphoton absorption, while using the rear face 21 as alaser light entrance surface, locating a light-converging point P withinthe substrate 4, and moving the mount table so as to scan thelight-converging point P along the lines to cut 5.

The scanning of the light-converging point P along the lines to cut 5 iscarried out six times per line to cut 5 while locating thelight-converging point P at respective positions with differentdistances from the rear face 21, whereby one row of a quality modifiedregion (first modified region) 71, three rows of segmented modifiedregions (second modified regions) 72, and two rows of HC (half cut)modified regions (second modified regions) 73 are formed within thesubstrate 4 along each line to cut 5 one by one successively from thefront face 3 side (whereas conditions under which the modified regions71, 72, 73 are formed and the like will be explained later). Since thesubstrate 4 is a semiconductor substrate made of silicon, the modifiedregions 71, 72, 73 are molten processed regions.

When the modified regions 71, 72, 73 are successively formed one by onefrom the side farther from the rear face 21 of the substrate 4, nomodified region exists between the rear face 21 acting as the laserlight entrance surface and the light-converging point P of laser light Lat the time of forming each modified region, so that scattering,absorption, and the like of laser light L are not caused by modifiedregions which have already been formed. Therefore, the modified regions71, 72, 73 can be formed with a high precision within the substrate 4along the lines to cut 5. Also, since the rear face 21 of the substrate4 is used as the laser light entrance surface, the modified regions 71,72, 73 can be formed reliably within the substrate 4 along the lines tocut 5 even when a member (e.g., TEG) reflecting the laser light L existson the lines to cut 5 of the laminate part 16.

When forming the quality modified region 71, one row of the qualitymodified region 71 is formed at a position where the distance betweenthe front face 3 of the substrate 4 and the end part 71 a on the frontface side of the quality modified region 71 is 5 μm to 15 μm or at aposition where the distance between the front face 3 of the substrate 4and the end part 71 b on the rear face side of the quality modifiedregion 71 is [(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.1] μm to [20+(thethickness of substrate 4)×0.1] μm. When forming the segmented modifiedregions 72, three rows of segmented modified regions 72 are formed inseries in the thickness direction of the substrate 4. Further, whenforming the HC modified regions 73, two rows of HC modified regions 73are formed as shown in FIG. 16( b), so as to generate fractures 24 fromthe HC modified regions 73 to the rear face 21 of the substrate 4.Depending on forming conditions, a fracture 24 may also occur betweenthe neighboring segmented modified region 72 and HC modified region 73.

After forming the modified regions 71, 72, 73, an expandable tape 23 isbonded to the rear face 21 of the substrate 4 of the object 1 as shownin FIG. 17( a). Subsequently, the protective tape 22 is irradiated withUV rays as shown in FIG. 17( b), so as to lower its adhesive force,whereby the protective tape 22 is peeled off from the laminate part 16of the object 1 as shown in FIG. 18( a).

After peeling the protective tape 22 off, the expandable tape 23 isexpanded as shown in FIG. 18( b), so as to start fractures from themodified regions 71, 72, 73, thereby cutting the substrate 4 andlaminate part 16 along the lines to cut 5, and separating thesemiconductor chips 25 obtained by the cutting from each other.

In the above-mentioned laser processing method, as explained in theforegoing, the quality modified region 71, segmented modified regions72, and HC modified regions 73 to become start points for cutting(fracturing) are formed within the substrate 4 along the lines to cut 5.Therefore, even when the substrate 4 formed with the laminate part 16including a plurality of functional devices 15 is thick, e.g., with athickness of 290 μm, the above-mentioned laser processing method can cutthe substrate 4 and laminate part 16 with a high precision.

Specifically, in the above-mentioned laser processing method, two rowsof HC modified regions 73 are formed at a position between the rear face21 of the substrate 4 and the segmented modified region 72 closest tothe rear face 21, whereby fractures 24 extending along the lines to cut5 are generated from the HC modified regions 73 to the rear face 21 ofthe substrate 4. Therefore, when the expandable tape 23 is bonded to therear face 21 of the substrate 4 and expanded, fractures proceed smoothlyfrom the substrate 4 to the laminate part 16 by way of the three rows ofsegmented modified regions 72 formed in series in the thicknessdirection, whereby the substrate 4 and laminate part 16 can be cut alongthe lines to cut 5 with a high precision.

The segmented modified regions 72 are not limited to three rows as longas they can smoothly advance fractures from the substrate 4 to thelaminate part 16. In general, the number of rows of segmented modifiedregions 72 is decreased/increased as the substrate 4 becomesthinner/thicker. The segmented modified regions 72 may be separated fromeach other as long as they can smoothly advance fractures from thesubstrate 4 to the laminate part 16. A single row of HC modified region73 may be provided alone as long as it can reliably generate a fracture24 from the HC modified region 73 to the rear face 21 of the substrate4.

In the above-mentioned laser processing method, the quality modifiedregion 71 is formed at a position where the distance between the frontface 3 of the substrate 4 and the end part 71 a of the quality modifiedregion 71 on the front face side is 5 μm to 15 μm, or at a positionwhere the front face 3 of the substrate 4 and the end part 71 b on therear face side of the quality modified region 71 is [(the thickness ofsubstrate 4)×0.1] μm to [20+(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.1] μm. Whenthe quality modified region 71 is formed at such a position, thelaminate part 16 (constituted by the interlayer insulating films 17 a,17 b here) formed on the front face 3 of the substrate 4 can also be cutalong the lines to cut 5 with a high precision.

In each of the semiconductor chips 25 cut by using the foregoing laserprocessing method, the cut section (side face) 4 a of the substrate 4formed with the modified regions 71, 72, 73 and the cut section (sideface) 16 a of the laminate part 16 become highly accurate cut sectionswhose irregularities are suppressed as shown in FIG. 18( b).

FIG. 20 is a photograph showing the cut section 4 a of the substrate 4cut by using the above-mentioned laser processing method. As mentionedabove, the substrate 4 is made of silicon and has a thickness of 300 μm.Forming conditions of the modified regions 71, 72, 73 are listed in thefollowing Table 1. In Table 1, the light-converging position refers tothe distance from the rear face 21 to a position where thelight-converging point P of laser light L is located, whereas the energyrefers to the energy of laser light L at the time of forming themodified regions 71, 72, 73. The pulse width at the time of forming themodified regions 71, 72, 73 is 180 ns, whereas the interval (which willhereinafter be referred to as laser light irradiation position interval)between positions where respective pulses of laser light L are locatedwhen irradiating the laser light L along the lines to cut 5 (positionslocating the light-converging point P) is 4 μm.

TABLE 1 LIGHT- CONVERGING ENERGY POSITION (μm) (μJ) QUALITY MODIFIEDREGION 71 267 15 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 196 20 (FRONT FACE 3 SIDE)SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 160 20 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 125 20(REAR FACE 21 SIDE) HC MODIFIED REGION 73 71 10 (FRONT FACE 3 SIDE) HCMODIFIED REGION 73 39 10 (REAR FACE 21 SIDE)

Here, in the thickness direction of the substrate 4, the qualitymodified region 71 had a width of about 20 μm, each segmented modifiedregion 72 had a width of about 37 μm, and each HC modified region 73 hada width of about 20 μm. The distance between the front face 3 and theend part 71 a of the quality modified region 71 on the front face sidewas about 7 μm, the distance between the end part 71 b of the qualitymodified region 71 on the rear face side and the end part 72 a of thesegmented modified region 72 on the front face side opposing each otherwas about 59 μm, and the distance between the end part 72 b of thesegmented modified region 72 on the rear face side and the end part 73 aof the HC modified region 73 on the front face side was about 24 μm. Thesegmented modified regions 72 were formed in series in the thicknessdirection of the substrate 4.

The width of the quality modified region 71 refers to the distancebetween the end part 71 a of the quality modified region 71 on the frontface side and the end part 71 b thereof on the rear face side (see FIG.19). The end part 71 a of the quality modified region 71 on the frontface side refers to an “average position in the thickness direction ofthe substrate 4” of the end part on the front face 3 side of the qualitymodified region 71 formed along the lines to cut 5, whereas the end part71 b of the quality modified region 71 on the rear face side refers toan “average position in the thickness direction of the substrate 4” ofthe end part on the rear face 21 side of the quality modified region 71formed along the lines to cut 5. The same holds in the segmentedmodified regions 72 and HC modified regions 73.

Forming conditions and the like of the above-mentioned modified regions71, 72, 73 will now be explained. The following forming conditions andthe like are effective when the substrate 4 has a thickness of 150 μm to800 μm in particular.

(1) Energy of Laser Light L When Forming the HC Modified Region 73

As can be seen from data of the following Table 2, the energy of laserlight L at the time of forming the HC modified region 73 is preferably 1μJ to 20 μJ. More specifically, the energy is preferably 1 μJ to 10 μJwhen the transmittance of laser light in the substrate 4 is 30% orhigher, and 2 μJ to 20 μJ when the transmittance is 15% or less. Thetransmittance decreases remarkably when the substrate 4 is thick andincludes a large content of impurities.

When the HC modified region 73 is formed under such a condition,fractures 24 starting from the HC modified region 73 tend to reach therear face 21 of the substrate 4 reliably. When the energy of laser lightL is less than 1 μJ, fractures 24 starting from the HC modified region73 are harder to reach the rear face 21 of the substrate 4. When theenergy of laser light L exceeds 20 μJ, on the other hand, damages 30such as melting are likely to occur in the rear face 21 of the substrate4 as shown in FIG. 21. FIG. 21 is a view showing a photograph of therear face 21 of the substrate 4 in the case where the light-convergingpoint P of laser light L is located at a position distanced by 40 μmfrom the rear face 21 while the energy of laser light L is 25 μJ whenforming the HC modified region 73.

TABLE 2 ENERGY (μJ) 0.5 1.0 2.0 2.5 5.0 10 15 20 25 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% Δ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ X X X TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% X Δ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ X “Δ” on the lowerenergy side: respective parts where fractures 24 reach the rear face 21of the substrate 4 and not coexist “X” on the lower energy side:fractures 24 hardly reach the rear face 21 of the substrate 4 “X” on thehigher energy side: damages such as melting occur in the rear face 21 ofthe substrate 4

The data of Table 2 are those obtained in the case where at least onerow of HC modified region 73 was formed within the range of 20 μm to 110μm from the rear face 21 of the substrate 4.

(2) Energy of Laser Light L When Forming the Segmented Modified Regions72

As can be seen from data of the following Table. 3, the energy of laserlight at the time of forming the segmented modified regions 72 ispreferably 1.6 to 3.0 when the energy of laser light L at the time offorming the HC modified region 73 is taken as 1. More specifically, theenergy is preferably 1.6 to 3.0 when the transmittance of laser light Lin the substrate 4 is 30% or higher, and 2.3 to 3.0 when thetransmittance of laser light L in the substrate 4 is 15% or less.

When the segmented modified regions 72 are formed under such acondition, fractures starting from the segmented modified regions 72tend to occur along the lines to cut with a high accuracy when cuttingthe substrate 4 and laminate part 16. When the energy of laser light Lis less than 1.6, fractures starting from the segmented modified regions72 are harder to occur at the time of cutting the substrate 4 andlaminate part 16. When the energy of laser light L exceeds 3.0, on theother hand, fractures starting from the segmented modified regions 72are likely to deviate from the lines to cut 5 at the time of cutting thesubstrate 4 and laminate part 16.

TABLE 3 ENERGY RATIO 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30%X X X X Δ ◯ ◯ ◯ TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% X X X X X X X X ENERGY RATIO 1.9 2.02.1 2.2 2.3 3.0 3.1 3.2 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ Δ X TRANSMITTANCE≦15% X X Δ Δ ◯ ◯ Δ X “Δ” on the lower energy side: favorable andunfavorable cutting quality parts coexist “X” on the lower energy side:fractures do not occur unless an excessive stress is applied, wherebycutting quality is unfavorable “Δ” on the higher energy side: favorableand unfavorable cutting quality parts coexist “X” on the higher energyside: cutting quality is low, e.g., chipping occurs in cut sections

As can be seen from data of the following Table 4, the energy of laserlight L at the time of forming the segmented modified regions 72 is 2 μJto 50 μJ. More specifically, the energy is preferably 2 μJ to 20 μJ(more preferably 2 μJ to 15 μJ) when the transmittance of laser light Lin the substrate 4 is 30% or higher, and 3 μJ to 50 μJ (more preferably3 μJ to 45 μJ) when the transmittance is 15% or less. The preferredrange of energy of laser light L is broader when the transmittance is15% or less, since a greater energy is required for forming a modifiedregion as the transmittance is lower.

When the segmented modified regions 72 are formed under such acondition, fractures starting from the segmented modified regions 72tend to occur along the lines to cut 5 with a high precision at the timeof cutting the substrate 4 and laminate part 16. When the energy oflaser light L is less than 2 μJ, fractures starting from the segmentedmodified regions 72 are harder to occur at the time of cutting thesubstrate 4 and laminate part 16. When the energy of laser light Lexceeds 50 μJ, on the other hand, fractures starting from the segmentedmodified regions 72 are likely to deviate from the lines to cut 5 at thetime of cutting the substrate 4 and laminate part 16.

TABLE 4 ENERGY (μJ) 1.0 2.0 3.0 5.0 10 15 20 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% X ◯ ◯ ◯◯ ◯ Δ TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% X Δ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ENERGY (μJ) 25 30 35 40 45 50 55TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% X X X X X X X TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ Δ X “Δ” onthe lower energy side: favorable and unfavorable cutting quality partscoexist “X” on the lower energy side: fractures do not occur unless anexcessive stress is applied, whereby cutting quality is unfavorable “Δ”on the higher energy side: favorable and unfavorable cutting qualityparts coexist “X” on the higher energy side: cutting quality is low,e.g., chipping occurs in cut sections

(3) Energy of Laser Light When Forming the Quality Modified Region 71

As can be seen from data of the following Table 5, in the case where theenergy of laser light L at the time of forming the HC modified regions73 is taken as 1, the energy of laser light L at the time of forming thequality modified region 71 is preferably 1.4 to 1.9 when thetransmittance of laser light L in the substrate 4 is 30% or higher, and2.3 to 3.0 when the transmittance of laser light L in the substrate 4 is15% or less.

When the quality modified region 71 is formed under such a condition,fractures starting from the quality modified region 71 tend to reach thelaminate part 16 along the lines to cut 5 with a high precision at thetime of cutting the substrate 4 and laminate part 16. When the energy oflaser light L is lower than the above-mentioned condition, fracturesstarting from the quality modified region 71 tend to reach the laminatepart 16 while deviating from the lines to cut 5. When the energy oflaser light L exceeds the above-mentioned condition, on the other hand,damages such as melting are likely to occur in the laminate part 16.

TABLE 5 ENERGY RATIO 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30%X X Δ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% X X X X X X X X ENERGY RATIO 1.9 2.02.1 2.2 2.3 3.0 3.1 3.2 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% ◯ Δ X X X X X X TRANSMITTANCE≦15% X X Δ Δ ◯ ◯ Δ X “Δ” on the lower energy side: favorable andunfavorable cutting quality parts coexist “X” on the lower energy side:fractures do not occur unless an excessive stress is applied, wherebycutting quality is unfavorable “Δ” on the higher energy side: damagessuch as melting partly occur in the laminate part 16 “X” on the higherenergy side: damages such as melting occur in the laminate part 16

As can be seen from data of the following Table 6, the energy of laserlight at the time of forming the quality modified region 71 ispreferably 2 μJ to 50 μJ. More specifically, the energy is preferably 2μJ to 20 μJ (more preferably 2 μJ to 15 μJ) when the transmittance oflaser light L in the substrate 4 is 30% or higher, and 3 μJ to 50 μJ(more preferably 3 μJ to 45 μJ) when the transmittance is 15% or less.

When the quality modified region 71 is formed under such a condition,fractures starting from the quality modified region 71 tend to reach thelaminate part 16 along the lines to cut 5 with a high precision at thetime of cutting the substrate 4 and laminate part 16. When the energy oflaser light L is lower than 2 μJ, fractures starting from the qualitymodified region 71 tend to reach the laminate part 16 while deviatingfrom the lines to cut 5 at the time of cutting the substrate 4 andlaminate part 16. When the energy of laser light L exceeds 50 μJ, on theother hand, damages such as melting are likely to occur in the laminatepart 16.

TABLE 6 ENERGY (μJ) 1.0 2.0 3.0 5.0 10 15 20 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% X ◯ ◯ ◯◯ ◯ Δ TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% X Δ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ENERGY (μJ) 25 30 35 40 45 50 55TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% X X X X X X X TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ Δ X “Δ” onthe lower energy side: favorable and unfavorable cutting quality partscoexist “X” on the lower energy side: fractures do not occur unless anexcessive stress is applied, whereby cutting quality is unfavorable “Δ”on the higher energy side: damages such as melting partly occur in thelaminate part 16 “X” on the higher energy side: damages such as meltingoccur in the laminate part 16

(4) Forming Position of Segmented Modified Regions 72

The distance between respective positions at which the light-convergingpoint P of laser light is located when forming neighboring segmentedmodified regions 72 is preferably 24 μm to 70 μm. More specifically, thedistance is preferably 30 μm to 70 μm when the transmittance of laserlight L in the substrate 4 is 30% or higher, and 24 μm to 50 μm when thetransmittance is 15% or less. When the segmented modified regions 72 areformed under such a condition, neighboring modified regions 72 tend tobecome in series in the thickness direction of the substrate 4, wherebythe substrate 4 and laminate part 16 can easily be cut even if thesubstrate 4 is thick.

Preferably, the position at which the light-converging point P of laserlight L is located when forming the segmented modified regions 72 isdistanced from the rear face 21 by 50 μm to [(the thickness of substrate4)×0.9 (preferably 0.7)] μm. When the segmented modified regions 72 areformed under such a condition, the substrate 4 and laminate part 16 caneasily be cut even if the substrates is thick.

When forming the segmented modified region 72 and HC modified region 73neighboring each other, it will be preferred if the position at whichthe light-converging point P of laser light is located when forming thesegmented modified region 72 is within the range of 30 μm to 100 μm onthe front face 2 side of the substrate 4 from the position at which thelight-converging point P of laser light is located when forming the HCmodified region 73. Here, the distance between the end part of thesegmented modified region 72 on the rear face side and the end part ofthe HC modified region 73 on the front face side opposing each otherbecomes 15 μm to 60 μm (preferably 15 μm to 35 μm), whereby fractures 24are likely to occur between the neighboring segmented modified region 72and HC modified region 73 as well.

(5) Forming Position of HC Modified Regions 73

Preferably, the position at which the light-converging point P of laserlight L is located when forming the HC modified region 73 is distancedfrom the rear face 21 by 20 μm to 110 μm. When the HC modified region isformed under such a condition, fractures 24 starting from the HCmodified region 73 tend to reach the rear face 21 of the substrate 4reliably. When the distance from the rear face 21 is less than 20 μm,damages 30 such as melting are likely to occur in the rear face 21 ofthe substrate 4 as shown in FIG. 22. FIG. 22 is a view showing aphotograph of the rear face 21 of the substrate 4 in the case where theposition at which the light-converging point P of laser light is locatedwhen forming the HC modified region 73 is distanced from the rear face21 by 15 μm while the energy of laser light L is 10 μJ. When thedistance from the rear face 21 exceeds 110 μm, on the other hand,fractures 24 starting from the HC modified region 73 are harder to reachthe rear face 21 of the substrate 4. Here, the distance between the rearface 21 of the substrate 4 and the end part of the HC modified region 73on the rear face side becomes 10 μm to 100 μm.

(6) Distance Between the End Part of the Segmented Modified Region 72 onthe Rear Face Side and the End Part of the HC Modified Region 73 on theFront Face Side Opposing Each Other

The distance between the end part of the segmented modified region 72 onthe rear face side and the end part of the HC modified region 73 on thefront face side opposing each other is preferably 15 μm to 60 μm, morepreferably 15 μm to 35 μm. When the segmented modified region 72 and HCmodified region 73 are formed under such a condition, fractures startingfrom the modified regions 72, 73 tend to occur along the lines to cut 5with a high precision, whereby the cut section 4 a of the substrate 4 ineach semiconductor chip 25 becomes a highly accurate cut section. Whenthe distance is less than 15 μm, fractures starting from the modifiedregions 72, 73 are likely to deviate from the lines to cut 5 at the timeof cutting the substrate 4 and laminate part 16, whereby the cut section4 a of the substrate 4 in the semiconductor chip 25 is harder to becomea highly accurate cut section. When the distance exceeds 60 μm, on theother hand, the interaction between the modified region 72 and HCmodified region 73 becomes smaller at the time of cutting the substrate4 and laminate part 16, whereby the cut section 4 a of the substrate 4in the semiconductor chip 25 is harder to become a highly accurate cutsection.

(7) Distance Between the End Part of the Quality Modified Region 71 onthe Rear Face Side and the End Part of the Segmented Modified Region 72on the Front Face Side Opposing Each Other

The distance between the end part of the quality modified region 71 onthe rear face side and the end part of the segmented modified region 72on the front face side opposing each other is preferably 0 μm to [(thethickness of substrate 4)−(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.6] μm. Whenthe quality modified region 71 and segmented modified region 72 areformed under such a condition, fractures starting from the modifiedregions 71, 72 tend to occur along the lines to cut 5 with a highprecision at the time of cutting the substrate 4 and laminate part 16,whereby the cut section 4 a of the substrate 4 and the cut section 16 aof the laminate part 16 in each semiconductor chip 25 become highlyaccurate cut sections. When the distance exceeds [(the thickness ofsubstrate 4)−(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.6] μm, the cut section 4 aof the substrate 4 of the semiconductor chip 25 is harder to become ahighly accurate cut section between the quality modified region 71 andsegmented modified region 72 at the time of cutting the substrate 4 andlaminate part 16. The distance is set to 0 μm when completely cuttingthe substrate 4 by irradiation with the laser light L alone.

(8) Forming Position of the Quality Modified Region 71

Preferably, the quality modified region 71 is formed at a position wherethe distance between the front face 3 of the substrate 4 and the endpart of the quality modified region 71 on the front face side is 5 μm to15 μm, or at a position where the distance between the front face 3 ofthe substrate 4 and the end part of the quality modified region 71 onthe rear face side is [(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.1] μm to[20+(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.1] μm. When the quality modifiedregion 71 is formed under such a condition, the skirt width S can besuppressed to 3 μm or less as shown in FIG. 23, whereby the laminatepart 16 formed on the front face 3 of the substrate 4 can be cut alongthe lines to cut 5 with a high precision.

When the quality modified region 71 is formed at a position where thedistance between the front face 3 of the substrate 4 and the end part ofthe quality modified region 71 on the front face side is 5 μm to 15 μm,the skirt width S can be suppressed to 1 μm or less as shown in FIG. 23,whereby the end part of the substrate 4 on the front face 3 side and thelaminate part 16 can be cut along the lines to cut 5 with a higherprecision. In terms of the distance between the front face 3 of thesubstrate 4 and the end part of the quality modified region 71 on therear face side, the quality modified region 71 is preferably formed at aposition where the distance is [5+(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.1] μmto [20+(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.1] μm, more preferably at aposition where the distance is [5+(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.1] μmto [10+(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.1] μm. When the quality modifiedregion is formed under such a condition, the end part of the substrate 4on the front face 3 side and the laminate part 16 can be cut along thelines to cut 5 with a higher precision.

In FIG. 23, the light-converging position refers to the distance fromthe rear face 21 to the position at which the light-converging point Pof laser light L is located, whereas the energy refers to the energy atthe time of forming the quality modified region 71. The rear side endpart position refers to the distance from the rear face 21 to the endpart of the quality modified region 71 on the rear face side. The widthrefers to the distance between the end part of the quality modifiedregion 71 on the front face side and the end part thereof on the rearface side. The front side end part position refers to the distance fromthe front face 3 to the end part of the quality modified region 71 onthe front face side.

When the distance between the front face 3 of the substrate 4 and theend part of the quality modified region 71 on the front face side isless than 5 μm, damages 30 such as melting are likely to occur in thefront face 3 of the substrate 4 as shown in FIG. 24. FIG. 24 is a viewshowing a photograph of a cut section of the substrate 4 in the casewhere the position at which the light-converging point of laser light Lis located when forming the quality modified region 71 is distanced fromthe front face 3 by 3 μm while the energy of laser light is 15 μJ.

(9) Widths of Modified Regions 71, 72, 73

The width of the HC modified region 73 (the total of widths of HCmodified regions 73 if they are formed in a plurality of rows) in thethickness direction of the substrate 4 is preferably 110 μm or less.When the HC modified region 73 is formed under such a condition,fractures 24 reaching the rear face 21 of the substrate 4 from the HCmodified region 73 tend to be formed along the lines to cut 5 with ahigh precision. When the width of the HC modified region 73 exceeds 110μm, fractures 24 reaching the rear face 21 of the substrate 4 from theHC modified region 73 are likely to deviate from the lines to cut 5.

The total of widths of the segmented modified regions 72 in thethickness direction of the substrate 4 is preferably 40 μm to [(thethickness of substrate 4)×0.9] μm. When the segmented modified regions72 are formed under such a condition, fractures starting from thesegmented modified regions 72 tend to occur along the lines to cut 5with a high precision at the time of cutting the substrate 4 andlaminate part 16, whereby the cut section 4 a of the substrate 4 in eachsemiconductor chip 25 becomes a highly accurate cut section. When thetotal of widths of the segmented modified regions 72 is less than 40 μm,fractures starting from the segmented modified regions 72 are harder tooccur at the time of cutting the substrate 4 and laminate part 16,whereby the cut section 4 a of the substrate 4 in the semiconductor chip25 is less likely to become a highly accurate cut section. When thetotal of widths of the segmented modified regions 72 exceeds [(thethickness of substrate 4)×0.9] μm, fractures starting from the segmentedmodified regions 72 are likely to deviate from the lines to cut 5 whencutting the substrate 4 and laminate part 16, whereby the cut section 4a of the substrate 4 in the semiconductor chip 25 is harder to become ahighly accurate cut section.

Preferably, the width of the quality modified region 71 in the thicknessdirection of the substrate 4 is not greater than [(the thickness ofsubstrate 4)×0.1] μm. When the quality modified region 71 is formedunder such a condition, fractures starting from the quality modifiedregion 71 tend to reach the laminate part 16 along the lines to cut 5with a high precision at the time of cutting the substrate 4 andlaminate part 16. When the width of the quality modified region 71exceeds [(the thickness of substrate 4)×0.1] μm, fractures starting fromthe quality modified region 71 are likely to reach the laminate part 16while deviating from the lines to cut 5 at the time of cutting thesubstrate 4 and laminate part 16.

Results of processing concerning FIG. 25 will now be explained.

FIG. 25 is a view showing a photograph of a cut section 4 a of asubstrate 4 cut by using the above-mentioned laser processing method. Asmentioned above, the substrate 4 is made of silicon and has a thicknessof 290 μm. Forming conditions of the modified regions 71, 72, 73 arelisted in the following Table 7. In Table 7, the light-convergingposition refers to the distance from the rear face 21 to a positionwhere the light-converging point P of laser light L is located, whereasthe energy refers to the energy of laser light L at the time of formingthe modified regions 71, 72, 73. The pulse width at the time of formingthe modified regions 71, 72, 73 is 150 ns, whereas the interval (whichwill hereinafter be referred to as laser light irradiation positioninterval) between positions where respective pulses of laser light L arelocated when irradiating the laser light L along the lines to cut 5(positions locating the light-converging point P) is 3.75 μm.

TABLE 7 LIGHT- CONVERGING ENERGY POSITION (μm) (μJ) QUALITY MODIFIEDREGION 71 275 7 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 228 14 (FRONT FACE 3 SIDE)SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 194 14 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 165 14(REAR FACE 21 SIDE) HC MODIFIED REGION 73 104 14 (FRONT FACE 3 SIDE) HCMODIFIED REGION 73 57 9 (REAR FACE 21 SIDE)

Here, in the thickness direction of the substrate 4, the qualitymodified region 71 had a width of about 22 μm, each segmented modifiedregion 72 had a width of about 33 μm, the HC modified region 73 on thefront face 3 side had a width of about 28 μm, and the HC modified region73 on the rear face 21 side had a width of about 20 μm. The distancebetween the front face 3 and the end part 71 a of the quality modifiedregion 71 on the front face side was about 8 μm, the distance betweenthe end part 71 b of the quality modified region 71 on the rear faceside and the end part 72 a of the segmented modified region 72 on thefront face side opposing each other was about 25 μm, and the distancebetween the end part 72 b of the segmented modified region 72 on therear face side and the end part 73 a of the quality modified region 73on the front face side was about 25 μm. The segmented modified regions72 were formed in series in the thickness direction of the substrate 4.

When the modified layers are formed as in the foregoing, it can besuppressed as compared with FIG. 20, that bumps occur in fracturesextending from the HC modified region 73 on the front face 3 side (Thebumps make a cleavage plane rough). This can prevent the bumps fromgenerating a molten pool in the cleavage plane upon laser irradiation atthe time of forming the HC modified region 73 on the rear face 21 sideand thereby yielding large particles of dust.

As a condition for this purpose, the energy of laser light for formingthe HC modified region 73 on the front face 3 side is made greater thanthat for forming the HC modified region 73 on the rear face 21 side inthis example, whereas these modified regions are formed by the sameenergy of laser light in the example of FIG. 20.

In this case, the energy of laser light at the time of forming the HCmodified region 73 on the front face 3 side is under the same conditionas with the energy condition of the laser light L at the time of formingthe segmented modified regions 72 mentioned above. Namely, the energy ispreferably 2 μJ to 50 μJ. More specifically, the energy is preferably 2μJ to 20 μJ (more preferably 2 μJ to 15 μJ) when the transmittance oflaser light L in the substrate 4 is 30% or higher, and 3 μJ to 50 μJ(more preferably 3 μJ to 45 μJ) when the transmittance of laser light Lin the substrate 4 is 15% or less.

The energy of laser light at the time of forming the HC modified region73 on the front face 3 side when the energy for the HC modified region73 on the rear face 21 side is taken as 1 is under the same condition aswith the energy of laser light L at the time of forming the segmentedmodified region 72 (i.e., the energy condition of laser light at thetime of forming the segmented modified regions 72 while the energy forthe HC modified region 73 is taken as 1), which will be explained later.

Namely, when the energy for the HC modified region 73 on the rear face21 side is taken as 1, the energy of laser light L at the time offorming the HC modified region 73 on the front face 3 side is preferably1.3 to 3.3. More specifically, the energy is preferably 1.3 to 3.0 whenthe transmittance of laser light L in the substrate 4 is 30% or higher,and 1.5 to 3.3 when the transmittance is 15% or less.

(10) Relationship Between the Energy of Laser Light L for FormingSegmented Modified Regions 72 and That for Forming HC Modified Regions73

As can be seen from data of the following Table 8, when forming aplurality of rows of HC modified regions 73, the energy of laser lightat the time of forming the segmented modified regions 72 is preferably1.3 to 3.3 in the case where the energy of laser light L at the time offorming the HC modified region 73 closest to the rear face 21 of thesubstrate 4 is taken as 1. More specifically, the energy is preferably1.3 to 3.0 when the transmittance of laser light L in the substrate 4 is30% or higher, and 1.5 to 3.3 when the transmittance is 15% or less.

When a plurality of HC modified regions 73 are formed under such acondition, fractures 24 generated when forming the HC modified region 73second closest to the rear face 21 of the substrate 4 do not reach thevicinity of the rear face 21 of the substrate 4, whereby particles ofdust can be prevented from occurring as the inner face of fractures 24melts at the time of forming the HC modified region 73 closest to therear face 21 of the substrate 4.

TABLE 8 ENERGY RATIO 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30%X X ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% X X X Δ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ENERGY RATIO 1.9 2.02.1 2.2 2.3 3.0 3.1 3.2 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ X X TRANSMITTANCE≦15% ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ENERGY RATIO 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% X XX X TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% ◯ Δ X X “Δ” on the lower energy side: favorableand unfavorable cutting quality parts coexist “X” on the lower energyside: fractures do not occur unless an excessive stress is applied,whereby cutting quality is unfavorable “Δ” on the higher energy side:favorable and unfavorable cutting quality parts coexist “X” on thehigher energy side: cutting quality is low, e.g., chipping occurs in cutsections

(11) Energy of Laser Light L When Forming the Quality Modified Region 71

As can be seen from data of the following Table 9, in the case where theenergy of laser light L at the time of forming the HC modified region 73on the rear face 21 side is taken as 1, the energy of laser light L atthe time of forming the quality modified region 71 is preferably 0.6 to1.9 when the transmittance of laser light L in the substrate 4 is 30% orhigher, and 0.6 to 3.0 when the transmittance is 15% or less.

When the quality modified region 71 is formed under such a condition,fractures starting from the quality modified region 71 tend to reach thelaminate part 16 along the lines to cut 5 with a high precision at thetime of cutting the substrate 4 and laminate part 16. When the energy oflaser light L is lower than the above-mentioned condition, fracturesstarting from the quality modified region 71 tend to reach the laminatepart 16 while deviating from the lines to cut 5. When the energy oflaser light L exceeds the above-mentioned condition, on the other hand,damages such as melting are likely to occur in the laminate part 16.

TABLE 9 ENERGY RATIO 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% X XΔ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% X X Δ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ENERGY RATIO 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.41.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 TRANSMITTANCE ≧30% ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% ◯◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ENERGY RATIO 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 3.0 3.1 3.2 TRANSMITTANCE≧30% ◯ Δ X X X X X X TRANSMITTANCE ≦15% ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ Δ X “Δ” on the lowerenergy side: favorable and unfavorable cutting quality parts coexist “X”on the lower energy side: fractures do not occur unless an excessivestress is applied, whereby cutting quality is unfavorable “Δ” on thehigher energy side: damages such as melting partly occur in the laminatepart 16 “X” on the higher energy side: damages such as melting occur inthe laminate part 16

The energy of laser light at the time of forming the quality modifiedregion 71 is as with data of the above-mentioned Table 6. Namely, theenergy is preferably 2 μJ to 50 μJ. More specifically, the energy ispreferably 2 μJ to 20 μJ (more preferably 2 μJ to 15 μJ) when thetransmittance of laser light L in the substrate 4 is 30% or higher, and3 μJ to 50 μJ (more preferably 3 μJ to 45 μJ) when the transmittance is15% or less.

(12) Forming Positions of HC Modified Regions 73 When Forming aPlurality of Rows of HC Modified Regions 73

When forming a plurality of rows of HC modified regions 73, it will bepreferred if the position at which the light-converging point P of laserlight L is located when forming the HC modified region 73 closest to therear face 21 of the substrate 4 is distanced from the rear face 21 by 20μm to 110 μm, and the position at which the light-converging point P oflaser light L is located when forming the HC modified region 73 secondclosest to the rear face 21 of the substrate 4 is distanced from therear face 21 by 140 μm or less.

When a plurality of rows of HC modified regions 73 are formed under sucha condition, fractures 24 generated at the time of forming the HCmodified region 73 second closest to the rear face 21 of the substrate 4do not reach the vicinity of the rear face 21 of the substrate 4,whereby particles of dust can be prevented from occurring as the innerface of the fractures 24 melts at the time of forming the HC modifiedregion 73 closest to the rear face 21 of the substrate 4.

While forming conditions of the modified regions 71, 72, 73 and the likeare explained in the foregoing, the pulse width of laser light L at thetime of forming the modified regions 71, 72, 73 is preferably 500 ns orless, more preferably 10 ns to 300 ns (further preferably 100 ns to 300ns). The interval of laser light irradiation positions is preferably 0.1μm to 10 μm. The interval of laser light irradiation positions can beset appropriately by the repetition frequency of laser and the laserlight moving rate.

When the above-mentioned various forming conditions for the segmentedmodified regions 72 are not satisfied in the forming of the segmentedmodified regions 72, a part not cut into semiconductor chips 25 occursin the object 1 as shown in FIG. 26( a). When the above-mentionedvarious forming conditions for the segmented modified regions 72 aresatisfied, on the other hand, the whole object 1 is reliably cut intothe semiconductor chips 25 as shown in FIG. 26( b).

The present invention is not restricted to the above-mentionedembodiment. For example, though the above-mentioned embodiment relatesto a case where the modified regions 71, 72, 73 are formed by generatingmultiphoton absorption within the substrate 4, there are cases where themodified regions 71, 72, 73 are formed by generating optical absorptionequivalent to multiphoton absorption within the substrate 4.

Though the above-mentioned embodiment relates to a case where one row ofquality modified region 71, three rows of segmented modified regions 72,and two rows of HC modified regions 73 are formed within the substrate4, the modified regions 71, 72, 73 may be formed within the substrate 4as follows.

For example, as shown in FIG. 27, one row of quality modified region 71,two rows of segmented modified regions 72, and one row of HC modifiedregion 73 may be formed within the substrate 4 successively from thefront face 3 side of the substrate 4. Here, the substrate 4 is made ofsilicon and has a thickness of 200 μm. Forming conditions of themodified regions 71, 72, 73 are shown in the following Table 10. Here,at the time of forming the modified regions 71, 72, 73, the pulse widthof laser light L is 150 ns, whereas the interval of laser lightirradiation positions is 4 μm.

TABLE 10 LIGHT- CONVERGING ENERGY POSITION (μm) (μJ) QUALITY MODIFIEDREGION 71 167 15 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 121 20 (FRONT FACE 3 SIDE)SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 71 20 (REAR FACE 21 SIDE) HC MODIFIEDREGION 73 39 10

As shown in FIG. 28, one row of quality modified region 71, two rows ofsegmented modified regions 72, and two rows of HC modified regions 73may be formed within the substrate 4 successively from the front face 3side of the substrate 4. Here, the substrate 4 is made of silicon andhas a thickness of 300 μm. Forming conditions of the modified regions71, 72, 73 are shown in the following Table 11. Here, at the time offorming the modified regions 71, 72, 73, the pulse width of laser lightL is 150 ns, whereas the interval of laser light irradiation positionsis 4 μm in the quality modified region 71, 1 μm in the quality modifiedregion 72 (on the front face 3 side), 4 μm in the quality modifiedregion 72 (on the rear face 21 side), 4 μm in the HC modified region 73(on the front face 3 side), and 4 μm in the HC modified region 73 (onthe rear face 21 side).

TABLE 11 LIGHT- CONVERGING ENERGY POSITION (μm) (μJ) QUALITY MODIFIEDREGION 71 256 15 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 153 20 (FRONT FACE 3 SIDE)SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 121 20 (REAR FACE 21 SIDE) HC MODIFIEDREGION 73 71 10 (FRONT FACE 3 SIDE) HC MODIFIED REGION 73 39 10 (REARFACE 21 SIDE)

As shown in FIG. 29, 1 row of quality modified region 71, 19 rows ofsegmented modified regions 72, and 1 row of HC modified region 73 may beformed within the substrate 4 successively from the front face 3 side ofthe substrate 4. Here, the substrate 4 is made of silicon and has athickness of 725 μm. Forming conditions of the modified regions 71, 72,73 are shown in the following Table 12. Here, at the time of forming themodified regions 71, 72, 73, the pulse width of laser light L is 150 ns,whereas the interval of laser light irradiation positions is 4 μm.

TABLE 12 LIGHT- CONVERGING ENERGY POSITION (μm) (μJ) QUALITY MODIFIEDREGION 71 644 15 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 641 20 (FRONT FACE 3 SIDE)SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 612 20 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 584 20SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 555 20 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 527 20SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 498 20 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 470 20SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 441 20 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 413 20SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 384 20 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 356 20SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 328 20 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 299 20SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 271 20 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 242 20SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 214 20 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 185 20SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 157 20 SEGMENTED MODIFIED REGION 72 121 20(REAR FACE 21 SIDE) HC MODIFIED REGION 73 71 10 (FRONT FACE 3 SIDE) HCMODIFIED REGION 73 39 10 (REAR FACE 21 SIDE)

In Tables 10 to 12, the light-converging position refers to the distancefrom the rear face 21 to a position where the light-converging point Pof laser light L is located, whereas the energy refers to the energy oflaser light L at the time of forming the modified regions 71, 72, 73.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

Even when a substrate formed with a laminate part including a pluralityof functional devices is thick, the present invention can cut thesubstrate and laminate part with a high precision.

1. A laser processing method of irradiating a substrate having a frontface formed with a laminate part including a plurality of functionaldevices with laser light while locating a light-converging point withinthe substrate so as to form a modified region to become a start pointfor cutting within the substrate along a line to cut of the substrate,the method comprising the steps of: forming a first modified regionalong the line to cut at a position where a distance between the frontface of the substrate and an end part of the first modified region onthe front face side of the substrate is 5 μm to 15 μm; and forming atleast one row of a second modified region along the line to cut at aposition between the first modified region and a rear face of thesubstrate.
 2. A laser processing method according to claim 1, whereinthe first modified region is formed at a position where the distancebetween the front face of the substrate and the end part of the firstmodified region on the front face side of the substrate is 5 μm to 10μm.
 3. A laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein thesubstrate is a semiconductor substrate, and wherein the first and secondmodified regions include a molten processed region.
 4. A laserprocessing method according to claim 1, wherein the first and secondmodified regions are successively formed one by one from the sidefarther from the rear face while using the rear face as a laser lightentrance surface.
 5. A laser processing method according to claim 1,wherein the laser light has an energy of 2 μJ to 50 μJ when forming thefirst modified region.
 6. A laser processing method according to claim1, wherein the laser light has an energy of 1 μJ to 50 μJ when formingthe second modified region.
 7. A laser processing method according toclaim 1, wherein the light-converging point of the laser light islocated at a position distanced by 50 μm to [(the substratethickness)×0.9] μm from the rear face side of the substrate when formingthe second modified region.
 8. A laser processing method according toclaim 1, wherein the light-converging point of the laser light islocated at a position distanced by 20 μm to 110 μm from the rear faceside of the substrate when forming the second modified region.
 9. Alaser processing method according to claim 1, further comprising thestep of cutting the substrate and laminate part along the line to cut.10. A laser processing method of irradiating a substrate having a frontface formed with a laminate part including a plurality of functionaldevices with laser light while locating a light-converging point withinthe substrate so as to form a modified region to become a start pointfor cutting within the substrate along a line to cut of the substrate,the method comprising the step of forming a first modified region alongthe line to cut at a position where a distance between the front face ofthe substrate and an end part of the first modified region on the frontface side of the substrate is 5 μm to 15 μm.
 11. A laser processingmethod according to claim 10, wherein the first modified region isformed at a position where the distance between the front face of thesubstrate and the end part of the first modified region on the frontface side of the substrate is 5 μm to 10 μm.
 12. A laser processingmethod of irradiating a substrate having a front face formed with alaminate part including a plurality of functional devices with laserlight while locating a light-converging point within the substrate so asto form a modified region to become a start point for cutting within thesubstrate along a line to cut of the substrate, the method comprisingthe steps of: forming a first modified region along the line to cut at aposition where a distance between the front face of the substrate and anend part of the first modified region on a rear face side of thesubstrate is [5+(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm to [20+(the substratethickness)×0.1] μm; and forming at least one row of a second modifiedregion along the line to cut at a position between the first modifiedregion and a rear face of the substrate.
 13. A laser processing methodaccording to claim 12, wherein the first modified region is formed at aposition where the distance between the front face of the substrate andthe end part of the first modified region on the rear face side is[5+(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm to [10+(the substratethickness)×0.1] μm.
 14. A laser processing of irradiating a substratehaving a front face formed with a laminate part including a plurality offunctional devices with laser light while locating a light-convergingpoint within the substrate so as to form a modified region to become astart point for cutting within the substrate along a line to cut of thesubstrate, the method comprising the step of forming a first modifiedregion along the line to cut at a position where a distance between thefront face of the substrate and an end part of the first modified regionon a rear face side of the substrate is [5+(the substratethickness)×0.1] μm to [20+(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm.
 15. A laserprocessing method according to claim 14, wherein the first modifiedregion is formed at a position where the distance between the front faceof the substrate and the end part of the first modified region on therear face side is [5+(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm to [10+(thesubstrate thickness)×0.1] μm.
 16. A semiconductor chip comprising asubstrate; and a laminate part, disposed on a front face of thesubstrate, including a functional device; wherein a first modifiedregion extending along a rear face of the substrate is formed at aposition where a distance between the front face of the substrate and anend part of the first modified region on the front face side of thesubstrate is 5 μm to 15 μm in a side face of the substrate; and whereinat least one row of a second modified region extending along the rearface is formed at a position between the first modified region and therear face in the side face of the substrate.
 17. A semiconductor chipaccording to claim 16, wherein the substrate is a semiconductorsubstrate, and wherein the first and second modified regions include amolten processed region.
 18. A semiconductor chip according to claim 16,wherein the distance between the end part of the first modified regionon the rear face side and the end part of the second modified region onthe front face side opposing each other is 0 μm to [(the substratethickness)−(the substrate thickness)×0.6] μm.
 19. A semiconductor chipcomprising a substrate; and a laminate part, disposed on a front face ofthe substrate, including a functional device; wherein a first modifiedregion extending along a rear face of the substrate is formed at aposition where a distance between the front face of the substrate and anend part of the first modified region on the front face side of thesubstrate is 5 μm to 15 μm in a side face of the substrate.
 20. Asemiconductor chip comprising a substrate; and a laminate part, disposedon a front face of the substrate, including a functional device; whereina first modified region extending along a rear face of the substrate isformed at a position where a distance between the front face of thesubstrate and an end part of the first modified region on the rear faceside of the substrate is [5+(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm to[20+(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm in a side face of the substrate;and wherein at least one row of a second modified region extending alongthe rear face is formed at a position between the first modified regionand the rear face in the side face of the substrate.
 21. A semiconductorchip comprising a substrate; and a laminate part, disposed on a frontface of the substrate, including a functional device; wherein a firstmodified region extending along a rear face of the substrate is formedat a position where a distance between the front face of the substrateand an end part of the first modified region on the rear face side ofthe substrate is [5+(the substrate thickness)×0.1] μm to [20+(thesubstrate thickness)×0.1] μm in a side face of the substrate.